Don't flip out over Russia. His record suggests he'd make constructive, well-informed decisions.

President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to serve as the next secretary of State has caused another post-election panic attack. Looking beyond Tillerson’s engagement with Russia, however, reveals someone with a distinguished education, a notable leadership record and substantial foreign affairs experience.

It's a fact that Tillerson is a businessman with a history of looking out for corporate interests such as access to energy, growth, sustainability and profit. But assessing his candidacy on that basis would be akin to saying the president of the United States should be judged for a business position on a record of looking out for the American people, national security and the U.S. economy. In both cases, the leaders have their organization’s top priorities and strategic goals in mind.

The assertion that Tillerson has no diplomatic experience is myopic. If having been a diplomat is a prerequisite to leading the State Department, 66 out of 68 U.S. secretaries of State, including John Kerry, would have failed the test. Former secretaries of State James Baker and Condoleezza Rice, and former Defense secretary Robert Gates, have vouched for Tillerson’s grasp of geopolitics. If he is a blatantly bad choice, such esteemed figures from past administrations would be unwilling to tarnish their reputations and legacies, regardless of any financial ties to ExxonMobil, in support of his candidacy.

As a former official at the State Department, I have argued that diplomatic skills are not the domain of diplomats only. Some of my former colleagues disagree, but the fact remains there are dozens of professions outside of federal service where in order to succeed, one must master the arts of nuanced conversation and high-stakes negotiation, and possess a deep understanding of foreign cultures, customs, even languages. International development, banking, law and foreign news reporting are just a few examples. Another is international business, an area in which Tillerson has more than 40 years of experience in Asia, Europe and North America.

His close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin are already causing consternation about Tillerson among those who are suspicious of the Kremlin. But questioning his skills and loyalty to U.S. interests because of some handshakes with Putin is overly pessimistic. Tillerson has led ExxonMobil, a company that remains an industry benchmark for everything from profitability to safety standards, to become the No. 2 company on the Fortune 500 list. That is impressive, to say the least.

When it comes to foreign affairs, Tillerson's experience is not limited to Russia. In 1995, he became president of Exxon Yemen Inc. and Esso Exploration and Production Khorat Inc., reflecting exposure to the Arabian Peninsula and Southeast Asia. In 2011, Tillerson signed a deal with the autonomous Kurdish government for ExxonMobil to develop oil fields, an agreement that has been criticized for skirting Iraq’s central government in Baghdad and policy created in Washington. The move, however, would unlock Iraq’s underground wealth and put money into a decrepit economy governed by politicians and bureaucrats stuck in constant gridlock and who are not unknown for sectarian biases.

Tillerson's résumé is far broader than ExxonMobil, its dealings with the Kremlin and the Order of Friendship medal Russia bestowed on him. According to his ExxonMobil biography, he is a trustee of the reputable Washington think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies; he's part of the Business Roundtable, an association of leading CEOs working to promote robust public and economic policies; and he is an honorary trustee of the Business Council for International Understanding, a non-partisan organization supporting international trade and commerce. He also served as national president of the Boy Scouts of America, and is a former director of the United Negro College Fund.

As the U.S. secretary of State, Tillerson might have to keep in check some corporate reflexes and instincts he has honed over the years. But his record and professional success in his industry are not indicative of someone who makes impulsive, uninformed decisions that will harm the organization he leads. Tillerson’s wealth, like that of other Trump selections for top government posts, has been cited as reason for concern. But the U.S. government is one of the least corrupt, most transparent systems in the world. Any malfeasance by any federal official could and should be exposed, if all the mechanisms of the federal government are working properly.

Trump campaigned on bringing business acumen and efficiency to government, making it more responsive to the needs of Americans. Selecting a global business executive to lead the world superpower’s premier foreign affairs agency is unconventional, but by no means foolish.

Armand V. Cucciniello III is a former senior press officer for the State Department and served as an adviser to the U.S. military in Iraq and Pakistan. Follow him on Twitter @ArmandVC3.